Salvage apparatus for vessels.



C. M. WALKER.

SALVAGE APPARATUS FOR VESSELS.

APPLICATION msu 1UNE24, 1915.

1, 168,982, Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

-To all idhom it may concern:

CLARINE M. WALKER, OF PENSACOLA, FLORIDA.

SALVAGE APPARATUS FOR VESSELS. 7

Be it known that I, CLARINE M. WALKnR,

* a citizen" of the United States, residing at Pensacola, in the county of E'scambia and State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Salvage Apparatus for Vessels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptiofi 'of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichdt,

appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in salvage apparatus to be used for raising sunken ivessels.

Most: of the accidents by which vessels are sunk occur on soundings where it is I also to the inner framework if desired, and

possible for a diver to go down and examto attach hoisting apparatus to the same should the wreck be ine thewreck, and also provided with suitable a 'pliances to which that apparatus may be fastened. The expedient generally adopted is to pass bridles along the bottom of the vessel, and to attach these .bridles to a suitable tackle; but it is generally difiicult and often utterly impossible to pass a line beneath the bottom of a-boat which has settled in mud or sand.

Such arrangements as. are ordinarily provided for towing or other purposes, such as the towing bitts' to which tackles could be hooked, are generally attached to the upper deck or upper portion of the vessel 5 only, and are braced against longitudinal strains and not against heavy strains applied in a' vertical direction, and conse-' quently these are apt to pull out should the attempt be made to fasten a hoisting tackle to these.

According to my invention I provide a series of plates which are firmly attached to the outside of the hull of the vessel, and

these plates are'provided with countersunk eyes to which hoisting means may be attached. By this arrangement, the plating of the ship constitutes a rigid beam which will furnish the necessary resistance to the lifting strains applied to the salvage plates in hoisting the vessel when submerged.

My invention will be' understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in

.which similar parts are indicate 'by similar reference symbols throughout the several views.

Figure-l is a diagram showing the side Specification of Letters Patent.

of the vessel fitted with my improved salvage plates; Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing one of the salvage plates as detached from the vessel; and Fig. 3 shows curely attached to the side of the vessel, as'

by bolts or rivets passing through the holes 7)". The center of the salvage plate is dished inward, as at b, and projecting across this dished portion of the plate, I provide a stout bolt O to which the lifting apparatus, not shown, is attached. This bolt C is preferably masked in the chamber 1) of the salvage plate, so as to be out of the way and yet is readily accessible to the diver. Moreover, by having these bolts inset, as shown in Fig. 3, it will be noted that the line of strain vertically will be in the plane of the ships plating shown at a in dotted lines in said figure, thus lessening the tendency of the salvage plates totear off from the ships plating when a heavy vertical strain is applied. When the salvage plates are Patented Jan. 18, 1916. Application filed June 24, 1915. Serial No. 36,077. i

circular, it will be obvious that they may be .m'ade elliptical in exterior contour, or of any other suitable shape. It will also be obvious that the outer edge of the plate may be -beveled so as to offer less resistance to the water when the plates are secured to the hull below the water line. Moreover any suitable means for securelyfastening the plates to the hull may be adopted if desired.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States is 1. The combination with the hull of a vessel, of a series of salvage plates secured to the exterior of said hull provided with inwardlyprojectingichambered portions, with bolts masked in said cham- I fb d p q laiid firmly hld in said plates, across said chambered cntral" poftifm 5nd gausl'x'bsgantially as' describd.g" masked therein and firmly secured to said Afsalvage plaliie adapted"t6 'be appl ied plate' substantially as'a,ndlfor' thepurpOsgs' 10 t6 th-exte'rior ofthehull of a vessel, c0m-' described. I

s'firisiilg 'a metal plate provided with a In testimony WheieOL-I aflix my slgnaanged' 'periphery, and a, chambered' centure.

.. v t pdl f pol tion," with} sipout bolt-132d} endil lg t f OLARINEHM. WAL ER. 

